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Once you've decided on an end-goal, it's so easy to get swept up in the motion of the little things: the to-do list you checkmark for every small detail or task needed to get you where you're overly prepared to be. It's so easy to get caught up in the minor things and forget to focus on yourself.

This is, of course, one of the biggest wrongdoings we can commit. One which I myself am quite guilty of during busy times like my recent move back to L.A. It's like they always say during the safety overview before liftoff: always attend to yourself before you can attend to others (or, other things). Focusing on yourself and your well-being is not selfish, it's necessary.

Recently I got into a light discussion with my talented friend Elvis, who shot these photos. It was about guilt, or moreso, "Asian/South Asian guilt" associated with respect for elders, and having been raised to tend to them first and foremost. We both found ourselves feeling similarly after my move to Los Angeles, and his to New York—simply for following our dreams. In no sense or form have either of our parents actually intentionally made us feel guilty; it's simply an afterthought of the values we were ingrained with. In fact, they've been more than supportive on both our moves; it's our own internal thoughts that bring us feeling wracked with guilt, for leaving them when we should, in fact, be standing on our own two feet & focusing on our careers as we are doing now.

Don't let yourself forget that you too, are human, and in need of your own love & care. Focusing on yourself is not selfish, if it's for the overall greater good. In fact, focusing on things that better the quality of your everyday is what should truly be on the top of your to-do list. The lack of this will implement itself into your daily life, and you'll definitely be able to notice. Without a better analogy at hand, this can even include going to the gym, for some—the endorphins definitely bring about a different quality of life, and one can notice the difference when they miss the gym for a few days.

For me, things that better the quality of my everyday life are a bit different. I tend to focus more on the aspects of manifestation, gratitude, and setting an intention for the day. Though you might not see me at the gym, it definitely doesn't mean you won't catch me making moves. And I won't be feeling guilty about it either. xx

You hear various pitches of it all throughout your life: the importance of gratitude. It's not until you find yourself actually implementing the practice of gratitude that you find it slowly changing your attitude over time as well—all for the better. Once you truly condition your mind to be grateful for all that you do have available for your taking, you'll find yourself feeling this newfound strength every day: the ability to overcome all those pesky bumps in the road with gratitude as your shock absorber.

It's no secret that I've always found myself gravitating towards Los Angeles as my point of interest, my place to call home. Though I grew up in the Bay & I have a never-ending appreciation for its culture and all it has to offer, I felt I could live my life as my true self much more openly down here. This is, of course, a personal opinion and feeling. It's also no secret that I've been trying my hardest to move back down to L.A. ever since I returned to the Bay a couple of years ago.

I'm happy to say that I've finally made it back home. And I can definitely say that my newfound approach of "mind over matter" has played one of the biggest helping hands in guiding me here. With the discovery of Intelligent Change's "The Five Minute Journal," it only took a literal 5 minutes per day to condition my mind over time to focus on the positive and make moves towards what I desired for my life.

Growing up in an era where technology and social media strongly impact the way we think and act on a continuous basis, being able to completely disconnect for a few minutes a day and really focus on what you have as well as where you want to be is truly a blessing. Though it can be hard at first to implement any new habit, I'd highly recommend checking out the journal or maybe starting your own, if you prefer.

I'm happy to say that my journey of gratitude has not only changed my everyday attitude; but it's also helped me in finding my voice and self-worth. In the short time that I've implemented this new habit, I've already been able to make decisions to better my life that seemed almost crippling to figure out before. I'm back in Los Angeles, living closer to loved ones and in training for a job that I could have only dreamed to have. And I owe it all to the magnet of miracles that gratitude brings forth.

For those of you who are new to my journey, I thank you for your interest. For those who continue on with me since the ragged start, I thank you for your time and loyalty. Let's continue on with this adventure called life and start each day with a grateful heart; we got this! As Rita Schiano said, "talking about our problems is our greatest addiction. Break the habit. Talk about your joys." It will only bring you more of it—I promise. xx

Keeping an open mind is difficult, but keeping an open heart is even harder. Mix in a variety of mental disorders such as anxiety, depression and OCD into the mix, and it's sure to make it that much more trying. It's no secret that I've personally dealt with anxiety for the majority of my lifetime. I have not only openly shared stories regarding my diagnoses, but I have also made it a point to do what I can to stop stigma and instead raise awareness for what can be done.

Though years have passed and I now have a good grip on my own mental health for the most part, working on bettering yourself and how to deal is a never-ending journey regardless of having any sort of disorder or not. I can openly admit that to this day, I do still have anxiety attacks at times and I am still learning the best ways to deal with my anxiety. However, with the growing knowledge I do have under my belt, I thought it'd be beneficial to pay it forward.

Acceptance: one of the first steps to tackling your anxiety is to accept what you are currently dealing with. Take a moment, take a deep breath and calmly try to ask yourself what is making you feel anxious in that moment. It may have been a spur of the moment feeling that crept over you, but there is almost always a root cause. Narrowing this down can help us accept the anxious feeling and in turn, move forward with handling it. It's important to use this to remind ourselves that the anxious feeling won't last forever.

Sleeping Patterns: a topic of importance across the board, but even moreso when any sort of anxiety is involved. The average adult does in fact need six to eight hours minimum in order to function productively. Improve the quality of your sleep by limiting your caffeine intake hours before bed as well as eliminating some screen time.

Exercise: ideally, we should all get 15-30 minutes of exercise 5 days a week. Physical activity releases endorphins which help alleviate any symptoms caused by stress and nervousness.

Maintenance: think of your body as a machine that not only needs consistent nourishment and maintenance, but a proper diet as well. Limit or avoid caffeine and alcohol, keep a consistent schedule of meals, and always stay hydrated!

Preparation & Productivity: whenever we are feeling anxious or stressed, procrastination is always happy to lend a hand in our downfall. Instead of feeding into the temptation to disengage, continue tackling your to-do list one task at at time & at your own comfortable pace. Keeping ourselves prepared can help alleviate a huge feeling of impending stress and will bring about a mindfulness for your own needs.

Breathe: anxiety comes hand-in-hand with an increased heart rate. At times your heart may feel like it will come out of your chest from the stress. The most effective way to lower anxiety (especially during any sort of anxiety attack) would in turn be to lower your heart rate. This can easily be done by focusing on your breathing. If dealing with an attack, it helps to find a comfortable position and take deep breaths through your nose. Be sure to maintain consistent breathing patterns without moving your chest too much. Repeating this a few times all while maintaining your breath should help lower any increased heart rate activity.

The next time that you feel like your heart might just burst from an overwhelming situation, simply try to practice all of the above. However, please note that if you or a loved one are in fact suffering from any sort of anxiety disorder, be sure to contact a physician for professional assistance and care.

"it was when I stopped searching for home within others and lifted the foundation of home within myself, that I found there were no roots more intimate than those between mind and body that have decided to be whole." ~Rupi Kaur

The war between our hearts and minds is a constant one. It is one of the most universal, lifelong battles that we will continue to face and overcome. This is a battle that is applicable across the board, whether it is regarding career choices, relationships or friendships, or any other point of action that might change the course of our lives. We will constantly have that pull between heart & head, veering us towards our ultimate decisions and life choices. These choices make up who we are; who we've chosen to be.

Through each of our choices, we expose a little bit more about ourselves. The same can be said of our choice in clothing, how we decide to put ourselves together for the day. You can be as many as a million different people in even a day, dependent on your outfit or your attitude.

This look is a bit more exposed than I might normally choose to be on a daily basis, as are the contents of this post. The battle between head and heart has been most relevant for me the past few days, as I've had to take some time to be a little selfish and make decisions to better my quality of life. As we've always known, many times the right thing to do and the easy thing to do are not in alignment. We're also taught that being selfish is wrong. Though this is a generally true statement, it is not 100% correct. At times, we do have to be selfish in order to take better care of ourselves and to better tend to our hearts and minds.

When we take some time to be selfish and tend to ourselves, we are not only benefitting ourselves, but those who are in our lives as well. Only when we are whole and feel complete on our own, can we truly better serve those around us. This is a lesson of significance which is often overlooked.

Lately my collection of bodysuits has had an intense growth spurt, and I just had to work one in for the blog. This grey piece with cut-outs was a gem I found on Love Culture and just had to grab up right away. I kept the light hues going with my light blue, distressed denim cutoffs and added just a touch of pattern with my leopard overcoat. Finally, I tied it all together with my favorite ankle-high booties from Ego.

My challenge to you all this week is to set some time aside to tend to yourself. Really weed out all the unnecessary things in your life, anything that might be holding you back from truly feeling whole or at one with yourself. There is never enough time to take care of you. Oh yeah—please note that my posting may be a bit sporadic with all the events coming up, but be sure to follow me on social for more updates (i.e. for Coachella)! 'Til next time... xx

Coachella is coming soon and even though I can't wait, I've also been too busy to really plan out any outfits. Yikes! I'm slowly getting there though. And since Spring has also now officially sprung, I thought it was a great time to share this light, festival-friendly look.

I've always loved the laced up look and was more thrilled than anyone for its big comeback. I decided to take it a little further and pair this light top from Urban Outfitter fave, Project Social T, with some laced up shorts as well. The faux suede was airy and breathable enough for a hot day, though the tan of these Forever 21 lace-up shorts did lowkey give me an Indiana Jones feel.

I also wore this lovely floral crown by Rust and Thistle Floral for a bit, a party favor from the pastel brunch I had rushed over from for this shoot. It seemed pretty appropriate with April coming within just days time...

And finally, I wore my fenty Puma creepers to complete this look. To be honest, I consider blush to be a neutral and I cannot ever get enough of the color! I am pretty sure that's been apparent through my feed lately. Also, I know I come off as quite serious in a lot of my posts and the accompanied writing, so here's some fun proof that I'm actually a goofy goober (above). 'Til next time... xx

There have been different variations of the well-known saying, "don't just be eye candy, be soul food" floating around for ages. The general concept behind this is pretty straightforward, but still something that our hardened generation of millenials easily forgets to implement. We put so much effort into branding ourselves, making the right connections, networking for our personal goals, moving on from one relationship to the next... We often forget that the quality of even just one connection can be more fulfilling than having a quantity of faces and numbers in our contacts list. Relationships in turn become more and more lacking, empty and void of substance. Full of fake interactions or fake emotions; things we aren't even certain can hold the test of time.

As I've grown older, I've realized the importance of substantial connections. I've also realized the importance of my own time. Because of this I make certain not to waste precious moments on unfulfilling situations or relationships. In turn, I do my best to give my full self to others or to situations in which I involve myself in, rather than allowing things to remain at a superficial standstill. I'm not interested unless it's something that feeds my soul, gnaws at my brain or makes me blush. Something that gets my heart pumping: something real and worthwhile.

Generally speaking, the older you get, the more in tune you become with this mindset. This falls in step with everything, not just people. Substantial clothing is something noteworthy and significant as well. That's where ifchic comes to play with this little number in mind: one of the best online destinations for chic, sophisticated pieces at a great deal. With their #ifchic24 program which is essentially just a hide & seek involving virtual coins, they make finding the best price a fun game.

IfChic carries brands for the modern woman on the go. This leopard Nine Lives skort was a piece from C/MEO Collective which I'd had my beady little eyes on for quite some time. Unfortunately, my budget had other ideas in mind. That's where ifchic came into play: by logging on and window shopping almost daily, I was able to collect enough hidden virtual coins to pay only a fraction of the price of the skort, and I ended up purchasing it at such a low price that I almost felt like I was getting away with a crime.

Since the wind and rain seem to be making a temporary home in the bay area this spring as of late, I decided to pair the skort with a comfy hi-lo roll-neck sweater and my favorite patent, rain-resistant boots from Ego. I love how these boots can add a touch of class to any outfit, all while remaining sturdy and reliable through any weather. To keep the light, feminine vibes going, I added a touch of ruffle through my sock game.

Substance and soul can be found in even the most surprising of places. For example, I've been able to find such solstice within this oversized sweater I wear way too much from Forever 21. The problem with our generation is not necessarily that we lack substance. It's that we don't attempt to share or see any deeper than the hard outer shell of the eye candy that is given at face value. In turn, we take valuable personalities, relationships and situations for granted. My challenge to you all for the week is to really look deeper into someone or something you may have easily overlooked in the past. You might be pleasantly surprised at how fulfilling it truly can be, if only you allow yourself to really delve deeper below the surface, whether it be yours or another's... 'til next time, xx